Topical Sermons - Executable Outlines

Mark A. Copeland
b. To serve the Lord faithfully
c. To do the work of evangelism
3. But how do we do such things?
a. By what means do we get those results?
b. What specific, measurable actions will take us where we want to be?
c. How much time, effort, and money will it take?
-- We need to see our vision of the Lord’s work in concrete terms of things we can actuall
D. THE PROBLEM OF A VISION THAT IS TOO LITTLE...
1. When we do think specifically about the Lord’s work, we often fail to set our sights high
enough
a. Perhaps we are hindered by our past experience
1) Personal efforts made in the past may have not born fruit
2) Congregational efforts did not seem to go anywhere
b. Perhaps we have been fed a steady diet of defeatism
1) Told by others that people are not interested in spiritual matters anymore
2) Telling ourselves that people are not interested
2. With small visions, many churches and individuals seem content with:
a. Just “keeping house for the Lord”
b. Just an occasional conversion, usually involving our children or spouses
-- With the limited vision of many churches, little is done and little is accomplished
[I believe the Lord intends greater things for His church, especially for those servants with a willingness
to work (cf. Mt 13:31-33; 1 Co 16:8-9; Re 3:8). What does a vision worthy of our Lord’s work
require? Perhaps the following thoughts might be a step in the right direction...]
II. WHAT OUR VISION NEEDS
A. OUR VISION NEEDS TO BE GREAT...
1. E.g., to double in attendance every year
2. E.g., to spread the gospel to thousands in our community each year
B. OUR VISION NEEDS SPECIFIC ACTION-STEPS...
1. To double in attendance every year:
a. Invite two people a week; by the end of the year you will likely have a least one
attending regularly
b. Provide transportation to people who can’t drive; is the value of a soul not worth what
time or effort might be involved? - cf. Mt 16:26
-- If each person succeeded is just getting one person to come regularly, the attendance
would easily double
2. To spread the gospel to thousands in our community each year:
a. Give a tract to one person per week
b. A congregation of 50 would share the gospel with more than 2500 people per year
-- How does that compare to the past year, where no vision was present?
C. OUR VISION NEEDS FAITH...
1. Faith in the power of the gospel
a. To save souls - cf. Ro 1:16-17
b. To produce souls that have been born again - cf. 1 Pe 1:22-25
Topical Sermons 244